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The Best Memes of 2011

December 28th, 2011

What’s a year without a meme? Nothing. It is nothing at all. So because we know that 2011 was a big year (and the opposite should never, ever be said – don’t even try), we’ve compiled our list of the year’s biggest memes so you can always remember just how important the internet is.

Ryan Gosling, “Hey Girl”

The only thing better than Ryan Gosling is Ryan Gosling saying beautiful, wonderful things to you. And the only thing better than Ryan Gosling saying beautiful, wonderful things to you, is Ryan Gosling looking really handsome while doing exactly what was just described. And also breaking up a fight. And also being in Drunk History. And also being really nice to his mom. Hey, guy.

“ALL THE THINGS!”

“Find all the memes!” is what we said to ourselves/said to the transition from Gosling to anything else a little less traumatizing.

Nyan Cat

And then there are memes that don’t even really make sense, but there they are, on the internet, appearing on-screen. Singing, in this case. Or meowing. Flying through space. Meow.

“Yes, this is Dog.”

Sometimes what a meme means isn’t important. And sometimes, how angry a meme makes people that don’t understand it is the most important of all, because come on, guys – it’s a dog fake-answering a phone. That is it. That is all. There is no spoon.

Rebecca Black

What day did she sing about again? KIDDING. We all know exactly what day she was singing about, and in case you forgot, the song is now in your head, and it is only Wednesday, so apologies are definitely in order on our part. But there she was, breathing new life into TGIF and asking us the eternal question: which seat do I take?

“We Got a Badass” Guy (Neil Degrasse Tyson)

And he’s been constant through time.

Pepper Spray Cop

This year got bleak, but in the face of having to watch a very terrible thing at a very turbulent time, we were given Pepper Spray Cop, who is unfortunately very real, but fortunately offered us a few forced laughs. (Ha… ha.) The good news is that he did not actually pepper spray the people in this portrait. The bad news is that he pepper sprayed actual people and, well, yikes.

Goose Step Rob Ford

And then sometimes jokes are just lowered from the heavens and bestowed upon us like a beautiful, glowing, kicking gift. (And let us never forget the drama and fallout.)

First World Problems

It was hard to realize just how spoiled we all were this year, but in case you weren’t 100% about your place in the first world, this meme was created to remind us that we are actually very insufferable. Case in point: likely anything we did in the last 24 hours. (Or complaining about a post you found on the internet about memes. BOOM.)

Scumbag Steve

In the right setting, Scumbag Steve could be your best friend. Just let him borrow EVERYTHING.